Wires on fire

[dovecustoms]

First I would like to say thanks to all of you who have owned and operated your XS and XJ's for a long time. I am very grateful for yoo generously sharing your knowledge with the rest of us. I admit I have learned alot from this forum. I have owned my 82 XJ1100 Maxim for several months now. I bought it with many problems and have been able to fix most of them using this site alone. So, Thank you.
First, I would like to ask if there is ANY place that you might know where I could buy a service manual?
Second, I am having a wiring problem. (the main reason for my post)
After having a night where the bike ran really bad (I thought i had gotten water in the gas) I limped it home and cleaned the carbs.
in the process of removing the seat and tank, I found some wires that had really gotten hot. Some of the connectors were melted even.

Somewhere right in the battery area, there is a blue wire with a yellow stripe and then what looks like a diode in a clear heat shrink and another connector to a lighter blue wire. The insulation was damaged some and the connection was broken right by the diode. (at this point I must confess I don't really know a diode from a resistor I am just calling it that) when I removed the heat shrink, it would have looked like a solid silver wire with a tiny ball in the center that is half blue and half white. the connection was broken right next to the ball.
I wasn't sure if it was imperitive so I bypassed it. The bike started right up but several wires, including the afore mentioned blue one, started smoking.
This lead me to believe that it was kind of important.
If you have any insight please share.
Thanks
B

dovecustoms
82 XJ1100 (was daily driver)

[Larrym]

Welcome aboard!

I confess that today I had my seat off and had my face right in that area. Sadly, I had tunnel vision because all I was interested in was test fitting my new saddlebags. No help just yet for your situation but hold tight.

The Real smokejumpers will likely be with you shortly.

[Ken Talbot]

Does any of this look familiar?

[mro]

I wasn't sure if it was imperitive so I bypassed it. The bike started right up but several wires, including the afore mentioned blue one, started smoking.
This lead me to believe that it was kind of important.
If you have any insight please share.
Thanks
B

dovecustoms
82 XJ1100 (was daily driver)


Hi there Mr B?

Don't know if it's mentioned in the link Ken posted for you... but the generator is "AC" and most all other power comes thru the battery (except one white wire from the generator) which has a regulator/rectifier between it and the generator.

Most of the time you get melted plugs is because the connection needed to be cleaned

mro
Thanks for the post and welcome to XS/XJ land

[latexeses]

Greetings,
I feel your frustration with the electrical problems. Electricity is magic. Only fully understood by Wizards. Gratefully most of them apparently ride XS1100's.

Check for a manual in the signature of CatatonicBug. He has them for download on his own page.

Good luck and welcome to the site.

Rodger

[mro]

manual ...

http://www.xjcd.org/

Above found in the "links" forum here at XS11


mro

[dovecustoms]

Thank you!

Thank you for your responses.
Ken, yes I did read that post before I posted. I was hoping to find where I could get one to replace mine because it is ruined and the bike seems like it will self destruct without that tiny part.

I Have taken apart all of the connections to see how they look and to clean them. Some of them look bad, but most of them are ok.

I also unwrapped the harness and the wires have suffered because of the heat. I am really wondering if this tiny blue wire can cause all of the problems I am seeing. Even my largest red wires sho signs of getting too hot.(insulation crinkled and hard) Is it likely that I have some other issue, and why havent I blown a fuse?

Thank you for the leads on the manual I am getting a check in the mail to Ben today. I also am going to go check out CatatonicBug's download to see if I can find a part number or something that describes what this part is so I can get a replacement.

Thank you all for your Help again.

Brandon
dovecustoms
82 xj1100 maxim (daily driver again soon, I hope)

[randy]

You can get diodes at radio shack. The sturdiest one they sell is a 6 amp 50 volt for like $2. Should last longer than the bike. You MUST install it the right way 'round, with the band away from the stator.

[TopCatGr58]

Hey Dove,

What folks need to realize is that you're talking about an XJ, not an XS11. The XJ has a much more complicated wiring harness and extra circuits! A review of the wiring diagram shows that the Blue/Yellow (coded as L/Y) wires are part of the starter safety interlock system, and there is a DIODE in the one coming from the Cluth lever switch, but the L/Y wire is connected to the sidestand switch and relay, along with the neutral light and switch, and the light blue wire that the diode connects with (coded Sb..SkyBlue) goes to and connects with the pickup coil connector to the neutral light switch and the starting circuit safety relay!

The safety starting circuit/relay system is too complicated for me to follow, but makes sense that the bike wouldn't start until you reconnected the wire, but can't explain why you have what is either too much current flowing thru the other wires causing the overheating, or there's too much resistance where they make connections, creating heat, but it usually occurs at the connection points, not the middle of the wire!?

And no fuse blowing could just mean that the current flow is more than what the size of wires is supposed to handle, but not high enough to blow the fuses?

The sidestand switch is often faulty, and folks have just twisted the 3 wires that go to the switch together to bypass it. IT was designed to prevent a person from leaving the sidestand down and putting it into gear and taking off. IT'll kill the engine. The other safety switches are to prevent you from being able to start the bike IF it's in gear and the clutch lever isn't pulled in!

Good Luck! T.C.

[dovecustoms]

You are right, and I'm not surprised!

I am scratching my head again tonight....I might not have ANY hair left after I get this worked out. Tonight I got the diode and installed it correctly (it only took two tries) I wrapped it up and pushed the start button....... the bike started and the wires almost instantly began smoking. I know I cleaned all of the connections. I know I tested the connections.
The wires are getting hot all along the wire and not just at the ends. Does that mean that it isn't a connection problem? I would think so, but I am not sure of anything at this point. I am normally a pretty logical thinker and I can figure out even complicated wiring systems. But this doesn't make sense.
The wires get so hot that it melts the insulation quickly.
If anyone has an idea, please share. I am going to spend some time looking through the service manual. Thanks CatatonicBug.
Thanks to everyone for your replies. It helps alot just knowing I am not in this alone.

Brandon
dovecustoms
82 XJ1100 Maxim (still too hot to handle)

[Clerek]

Alright, so I had the EXACT same problem with my XS. The wiring harness was completey melted, worn and most of the connectors were black. I tried for about two weeks straight to find what the problem was, and ended up getting pissed and decided to just rewire the whole bike! I am running into problems finding a way to route power to the headlight and taillight, but I may have found a solution! There is definately light at the end of the tunnel...

The only advise I can offer, is to be patient with the wiring, and start where the wires are most melted, or burnt, and follow the wires. Another thing is to LABEL the wires so you don't get lost while your digging through the harness...

Like I said I am just finishing rewiring my bike. I did go for a more minimalist approach with the rewire, but let me assure you that if this needs to be done, don't be afraid. There is tons of information on this website and TONS of people that are willing to help you. Don't just dive into something! Do plenty of research so you know exactly what you are getting into, and it won't be that bad...

Good luck!
-Rick

[CatatonicBug]

Welcome aboard! I don't run an XJ, but there are enough people here who do to get you back on the road. The previous link will get you a much more comprehensive gathering of material than just a service manual. It was put together by several folks over the course of many years of gathering tips and tricks about the XJ. If all you need for now is a manual, you can download one for free from the link in my signature. It's one of the things I host as a service back to the wonderful people here on this site.

I had a similar melting issue with the connector behind my fuse block. I had to shatter the connector to get the wires out! Corrosion is a killer on these old bikes, so be sure you go over your whole bike and clean EVERY connection and coat them with dielectric grease.

Good luck, and post some pictures ASAP!

[fredintoon]

....... the bike started and the wires almost instantly began smoking. I know I cleaned all of the connections. I know I tested the connections.
The wires are getting hot all along the wire and not just at the ends.
The wires get so hot that it melts the insulation quickly.
If anyone has an idea, please share.
Brandon

Hi Brandon,
the wiring overheats when the engine starts, but not when you turn the ignition on?
Thing is, the fuses protect all the wiring that's downstream of them. That the wires get hot enough to discolour their insulation says they are flowing way more current than it would take to blow even the 30Amp main fuse.
My best guess is that it's a short circuit somewhere in your charging system that's letting current flow to ground before it even gets to the main fuse.
Look for trapped wires and cooked connectors.

[latexeses]

Just a thought. Has someone replaced your fuses with some outrageous amperage?

[dovecustoms]

Cool with the Key on.

fredintoon, the wires stay cool with the key on but heat up when it starts. That lead me to believe that it is in the charging system as well. I tried to narrow the search but it is many diggerent wires that get hot.. That makes it hard to get a bead on it. I have looked for the pinched or shorted-out wire to no avail. I am about to go and see if I can do a bit more searching.
Thanks
BB